Chapter 388:
"Salamence...." (I won't go anymore....)
"Huh?"
Salamence's words made Hayashi Kaede freeze.
"Won't go where?"
"Salamence..." (For revenge...)
The small Salamence flapped its wings, its eyes holding a trace of fear mixed with complexity.
It thought its eagerness for revenge had made Hayashi Kaede angry.
Hearing this, Hayashi Kaede also paused.
Although he didn't know exactly what Salamence was thinking, he could roughly guess its feelings.
Putting himself in its place... Salamence had been trapped there for half a year. If it were him, once he had the strength, he'd probably want to tear Team Rocket apart.
But then again...
It probably wasn't just Team Rocket; there was also that Pokémon Hunter.
Through his Veridian Power perception, the other Salamence that attacked it undoubtedly had Hunter J on its back!
He had witnessed Salamence's emotional journey all along.
Although it initially bared its teeth and even tried to bite him when it first arrived at the Breeding House, now Salamence was willing to concede like this because it was afraid of upsetting him.
"No, no, no. I was just upset that you wanted to get stronger but pushed the request onto Dragonite instead of telling me yourself. It wasn't about your desire for revenge," Hayashi Kaede explained, waving his hands.
Salamence didn't quite understand.
But for a moment there, it had truly been scared.
Afraid that Hayashi Kaede would abandon it after it got its revenge.
This feeling was strange; that was exactly what it had initially planned.
It couldn't figure out why.
Maybe the food here was just too good?
Dragonite flew nearby, looking from Hayashi Kaede to Salamence and back.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Wait here, I'll go make your special dishes right now!"
Hayashi Kaede patted Salamence, then patted Dragonite, took a deep breath, and headed towards the kitchen.
Behind him, Salamence watched Hayashi Kaede's retreating figure, then looked at Dragonite. It flapped its wings and flew to Dragonite's side, patting it with a wing. "Salamence..."
"Dragonite? Dragonite..."
Dragonite seemed a bit confused, but it still responded to what Salamence said.
....
In the kitchen.
Gardevoir had somehow already brought Latias inside to make Energy Cubes.
Growlithe guarded the kitchen door, pawing at a bone, teething.
It was still young and had just passed its initial growth phase, now entering the teething stage where it loved to chew and bite things.
There were now three kitchens: one at the Breeding House, one in the garden, and this one in the villa.
The villa's kitchen was the largest and most well-equipped.
During winter, everyone's food was prepared here.
And now, it resembled a production assembly line.
Over a dozen Energy Cube makers hummed softly.
Latias was in its human form, its expression serious as it focused on controlling three sets of berries and various materials. This was its current limit and represented its recent progress. Remember, initially, it couldn't even handle one set properly.
Gardevoir, noticing Hayashi Kaede enter, paused its own psychic control over the berries.
"Gardevoir?" (What's wrong?)
It immediately noticed something was off about Hayashi Kaede's expression.
Hayashi Kaede glanced at Latias.
His expression also seemed troubled. "Seems I spoke too quickly and said something hurtful."
"Gardevoir?"
Gardevoir's expression froze, looking quite surprised at Hayashi Kaede, but it quickly understood. "Gardevoir" (Was it Salamence?)
"Huh?"
This time it was Hayashi Kaede's turn to be surprised. "How could you tell?"
It wasn't that... although Gardevoir had empathic abilities,
it usually didn't actively probe his mind.
"Gardevoir..." (I didn't see, but guessed. With the other kids, like Alolan Ninetales, Serperior, Steenee, Butterfree... you'd never say anything harsh to them. So, by process of elimination, it's either Dragonite, Blaziken, or Salamence.)
"Gardevoir..." (Blaziken can be mischievous sometimes, but it listens to you. Dragonite has a good temper. So, naturally, it must be Salamence.)
"Hmm..."
Hayashi Kaede felt a bit embarrassed. Put that way, it seemed Gardevoir understood the personalities of his Pokémon better than he did.
"Gardevoir?" (What was it about?)
Gardevoir asked gently and attentively.
"Ah, it's about it wanting to get stronger for revenge..."
Hayashi Kaede recounted everything that had just happened in detail to Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir?" (You got angry?)
Hayashi Kaede nodded. "A little at first? But then I thought, maybe it's because I haven't paid it much attention lately."
Salamence never made any requests of him. It just showed up for meals, ate, slept, and occasionally went out to sunbathe.
And whether it was the Junior Cup or the Pokémon League Conference, Hayashi Kaede had left it at home.
After a few times like that, without much companionship, it naturally felt distant.
It was normal for Salamence to feel too proud to make requests directly.
Gardevoir gave him a look, its psychic power for making Energy Cubes resuming.
It spoke while working: "Gardevoir..." (That was indeed a very hurtful thing to say. If you said that to Alolan Ninetales or Serperior, I feel they wouldn't eat for days.)
"Well, I definitely wouldn't say that to them... ahem..." Hayashi Kaede felt awkward and also joined in making Energy Cubes.
He knew it was hurtful; he realized it was wrong as soon as the words left his mouth.
But sometimes, words just slip out without thinking.
And often, in those moments, the words spoken are the most truthful.
At that time, Hayashi Kaede was also worried whether Salamence truly planned to leave after getting its revenge.
"Gardevoir," (Then shouldn't you go make the special dish you promised it?)
Seeing Hayashi Kaede still joining the Energy Cube production, Gardevoir nudged his arm.
"Huh? Okay. I was hoping to hear from you if there was any way to comfort it."
Gardevoir rolled its eyes at him again.
That one time he praised it was so perfunctory, and now he wanted advice on comforting other Pokémon from it.
Although grumbling internally, Gardevoir immediately said, "Gardevoir..." (Don't worry so much. It's like me; it's already used to being here. Go on, go.)
Hayashi Kaede showed an awkward smile.
Then he quickly left this kitchen.
Since this one was full, he needed to use another kitchen.
As for the special dish for Salamence and Dragonite...
After a moment's thought, he had an idea.